Friends & Life
by mattmiranda4eva
Summary: The long awaited sequel to More Than Friends? The four best friends have all left high school and are attending U.C.L.A. What do they have in store for them. Find out. Rating has been changed due to the next chapter.
1. Author

Author's Note:

To all of the fans of my first Lizzie fic, "More Than Friends?": I am terribly sorry that this has taken me so long, but after a year of college, I found the time to write the highly requested sequel to my story. This follows the four friends through their college lives. There will be a few large time gaps and an epilogue. I might do one more sequel to this just to tie up the future in my fic-verse. Thanks to all of you.

MattMiranda4eva


	2. Chapter 1

Friends & Life- PG-13

Matt walked down the stairs of the house he grew up in and stopped when he reached the front door. Hearing the horn honk one more time, he grabbed the duffel bag that had been lying next to his feet, yelled good bye to his parents, and sprinted to his Jeep. There, his girlfriend, Miranda, his sister, Lizzie, and Lizzie's best friend and boyfriend, Gordo were all sitting in their seats, waiting for him rather impatiently.

"Hey guys, are we all packed up…ready to go apartment hunting?" With a chorus of 'yeah' and 'let's get going', Matt threw his bag in the trunk and climbed into his car, taking the roof from the back and putting it on before getting the group of four adults on the road to L.A.

"Okay Matt, but why three instead of two? I mean, even if we don't pair off for rommies, the girls could share and we could share. It's kind of useless to have another room."

"Gordo, guest room, and besides, no offense, but I already get enough gay jokes without sharing a room with a guy. That plus I don't want to share a room with anyone buy my girl, Miranda." As Matt said the last part, he took Miranda's hand in his, giving it a light squeeze and a quick glance.

"Good, because as much as I love you Lizzie, I don't think I could be your roommate," Miranda concluded.

Getting off of the 405 interstate, the four college students drove the route that they knew to their real-estate agent's office. They had appointments to look at five apartments near the campus.

"Okay guys, last place. Let's hope the saying that 'saving the best for last' holds true here," said Gordo. Before any of the remaining friends could respond, the door in front of them was opened and they were ushered inside of the last apartment. Looking around, the group realized that Gordo's statement must have been true.

This last apartment held no comparison to the other four that they had seen. It had two full bathrooms and a half bathroom, four bedrooms, two of them with walk in closets. The apartment also had two floors, with a staircase in the back of what the last tenants had made their living room, and the whole place was furnished.

"Before you ask, the only reason that I can show you this place at your price range is twofold. One, you'll have to fix-up the area upstairs if you want to use it. Also, there is an area in the rooftop to the second floor where, when it rains, the ceiling leaks and the water collects on the hardwood floors. The realty company can either give you a number for a handyman or let you fix it yourselves.

"However, if you decide to fix it up at all, the company has decided that they will pay for the supplies and hardware if you do it yourselves." As their realtor finished up her explanation, the four friends were exchanging looks.

"Well, before we decide anything, how about we get a look at the rest, including the second floor." When Gordo said this, the other three nodded eagerly in agreement. Lizzie and Miranda were obviously the most excited about looking at the rest of the place.

"So, if we agree to this place, and agree to fix up the roof and the second floor, we'll get to live here at that price?" Matt was looking at Laurie skeptically as he asked her this.

"Well, only if you agree to do it yourself. The reason we can do that is simple really. If it gets fixed up, this place gains retail value. After you four move out, we can rent, lease or sell this place for twice as much!"

"Ah, but, what if we buy it now and then don't move?"

"Well, eventually, the four of you will find people and live with them. You are all just in college. Someday you'll find that you want families and things like that. It's a give-in that at least two of you will move." At this point, Gordo looked at Lizzie and Miranda pensively.

"Well, I know what you girls will say, and you Matt. Does it come fully furnished?"

"It comes with everything that's actually here right now."

"Well, when can we move in? I know that the sooner we get a head's up on the second floor space, the better I'll feel when my mom comes to help move in my stuff. In fact, I'm gonna go on the roof, check out the leak, ok" Matt said this all very fast, almost not waiting for an answer from Laurie.


	3. Chapter 2

Moving the final box out of the room, Matt shuffled his feet in front of the bay window that Gordo and he had just uncovered.

"Miranda, Quick!" Miranda scurried up the set of stairs, wondering what her boyfriend was calling her so urgently for. When she reached the second floor, her mouth dropped open and she wordlessly walked to the window, unaware of everything else around her.

Matt snuck up behind her and silently slid his arms around her waist, resting his chin in the crook of her neck.

"I can't believe this view! What else is up here that we didn't know about? We didn't pay enough for a place like this."

"Well sweetie, there's another full bathroom, a huge walk-in closet…it's pretty much a master bedroom suite. I already patched up that spot in the roof. I also moved the boxes out of here with Gordo and we found some pretty nice wood floors underneath. I'm gonna unpack my stuff."

"Your stuff," Miranda questioned.

"Well yeah, I'm fixing the room, shouldn't I get to claim it as mine?"

"No! What if I wanted this as my room? Don't I get a say?"

"Well, I sure hope that we can learn to share. After all, the bathroom has two sinks on separate counters, we can have some space to ourselves. It can be like our own little studio apartment. I already ran it by Lizzie and Gordo." As Matt finished explaining his idea, he turned to his girlfriend with an entirely innocent and hopeful look on his face.

"Matt, I thought that you said that we shouldn't live together because temptation would be too much."

"Miranda, to know you is temptation, let alone being in the same apartment. Over our time together, I've realized that no matter what, you will always be the one. Whether we decide to go with it or not is the only thing that can change."

"Okay, when do I move in?"

"Really! You'll do it? You'll live up here with me!" Instead of answering his question again, Miranda simply wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer for a slow kiss. "I'll take that as a yes, if that's alright with you." Miranda simply pulled him in again, causing them to loose their balance and fall back on a mattress that Matt had uncovered just before she had come upstairs.

"Well, if that's not a sign…" Matt started. Miranda just looked at him before giving him a playful shove and started laughing.

"You pervert. If we **do** do this, you are not aloud to be a nympho, okay?"

"Alright, Miranda, alright. Anyway…since I fixed the roof, I can fix the floor tomorrow, and we have to sort out all of these boxes."

"All of a sudden, they both heard giggling coming from the stairs. As the two of them sat up on the mattress and looked over to find Lizzie and Gordo cracking up at the top of the stairs.

"Well the two of you are laying down, semi-wrestling on a bed bickering like an old married couple and Miranda, you're telling Matt here that even though you will be living together and sharing a room, let alone a bed, he better not be perverted enough to want sex. It's insane to think that would work!"

"She does have a point, Matt." As Miranda said that, she was struggling not to laugh herself. "Listen to us! We sound like a couple that's been married for fifty years!"

"They're ones to talk. Their entire lives have been spent with them flirting with one another. What's gonna happen with **them** living together!"

"My cute, adorable boyfriend does have a point," Miranda continued. She then got up and walked towards her two best friends and soon to be roommates. "Now, why don't you two help us look through these boxes? The sooner we sort through this, the sooner we can sell the stuff we don't need."


	4. Chapter 3

Having spent most of the week finishing off the work that needed to be done on the apartment, all four of the new residents were thoroughly exhausted.

"Well, the floors are done and resurfaced. I also put up towel racks in the bathroom, painted our room, and got the bed put together. I'm not doing anything else to decorate until all of our boxes are cleared out."

"Matt, are you insane? Why would you overwork yourself into doing all of that on your own?"

"I want my home to be nice and organized by the end of this week. I know classes don't start for two months, but maybe we can invite the parents once it's all done," Matt concluded with a sappy look to his sister and his girlfriend. After stating his reasons, Matt simply turned to Miranda, gave her a quick kiss, and got u off of the couch to start unpacking his boxes up in their room.

"Call me crazy, but I'm going to go help my boyfriend so he doesn't overwork himself." After excusing herself, Miranda ran up the stairs, calling up to Matt as she went.

"Well then Gordo," Lizzie began, "just when do you plan to help me put the finishing touches on our room? You know that the sooner our room is done, the sooner we can convert that other room to an office and studio." Lizzie said the second part in a sing-song voice as to entice her boyfriend.

"You always know just what to say to motivate me," he replied dryly.

"Okay then, how about the sooner we finish putting the bedroom together, the sooner we can work towards breaking it in?" After gathering her plate and glass, Lizzie stood and, with a wink to her boyfriend, sauntered out of the room. Jumping out of his seat, Gordo quickly followed.

* * *

"Well, if there's one thing about this place that I can say is that the walls could use a touch of personality from you four."

"Nah, we've got that covered Mrs. M," said Miranda pulling two boxes out of the spare bedroom. "Since I am a fine arts major, I have unlimited access to the art labs. Matt Gordo voted Lizzie and I to give the place a little character."

"And what have you decided to do? And before you answer, call me Jo, you've known me your whole life and you are living with my kids."

"And dating your son," Matt finished from the doorway.

"Thanks Matt," she replied, although Miranda looked anything but grateful. "I was planning on telling you Jo, I was going to actually talk to Matt about when to tell you tonight, but…" she was cut off in the middle of her sentence by a bone crushing hug from Jo that captured not only the two women, but Matt as well.

"Thank god you two noticed. I was worried that you would take as long as Lizzie and Gordo have. I swear those two are blind to their hearts." As Jo said this, Miranda and Matt shared a conspiratorial glance.

"Actually, Mom," Matt started, "Lizzie and Gordo finally 'woke up' so to speak, about a month ago. They've been mackin' it ever since." Miranda smacked her boyfriend's shoulder at the insensitive wording.

"Don't worry, Mrs. M., sorry, I mean Jo. I'm sure their relationship consists of things other than, to borrow Matt's wording, 'mackin' it up'. They're inseparable. I think that they've got a couple of classes together."

The look on Jo's face made both Matt and Miranda want to run for cover from the tears that they knew were inevitable. Just as they were about to be released, the door to the apartment opened with Lizzie and Gordo struggling through the frame with loaded arms.

"Lizzie, hey! Mom's here!" Matt wanted to yell out a warning to his unsuspecting sister.

* * *

"Geesh, Matt, the two of you didn't have to tell Mom about us. We were planning to do it on our own. While she was here, don't worry. I just wouldn't have chosen to tell her by saying that my live-in boyfriend and I can't keep our hands off each other and letting her know that we share a bedroom." Finishing her rant, Lizzie simply chose to glare at her brother and Miranda. Here, Miranda spoke up,

"Hey, at least we didn't pull a Gordo. I can't believe you just copped out and hid in the office."

"You try suffering the wrath of Jo McGuire!" Gordo retorted.

"I did! Matt and I told her about our relationship in person right after we got together with her today. We were also honest with the seriousness of our relationship."

"And what would that be," Lizzie and Gordo asked in almost identical tired voices.

"Well…," Matt began.


	5. Chapter 4

Last time:

"I did! Matt and I told her about our relationship in person right after we got together with her today. We were also honest with the seriousness of our relationship."

"And what would that be," Lizzie and Gordo asked in almost identical tired voices.

"Well…," Matt began.

"Well…," Matt began, "I think that Miranda should go order the pizza, don't you," he asked, giving both Gordo and his sister pointed looks.

"Matt, honey, you could just ask me to leave. I know that you get embarrassed to talk about this stuff in front of me. Okay," Miranda started while standing and giving a kiss to Matt before turning to the others, "do you guys all want your usual toppings?" After hearing a round of 'yes' from the other people in the room, she left the living room and went to order their dinner.

Watching to make sure Miranda couldn't hear what he was about to let slip, Matt turned back to the couple in front of him and lowered his voice so that only they could hear him.

"Okay, you know how when Grandma died, she left Mom her whole jewelry box?" At his sister's nod of recognition, he continued, "well, I asked Mom to bring up her old Claddagh ring the next time that she visits. If Miranda and I are still going strong by then, I'm gonna take Miranda out for a nice night out and give it to her as a promise ring."

"Oh my God! Matt," Lizzie started, but didn't get much farther before Gordo clapped his hand over her mouth. Giving Gordo a look, she pried his hand off of her face. "What was that for? Oh, wait; this is a surprise for her isn't it?"

"Well, duh, Liz, why else would he have asked her to leave before telling us? It kinda seems fast, but you guys have known each other for so long and have known about your feelings for each other for about as long as they've existed."

"Hey guys," Miranda yelled from the kitchen. "Is it okay for me to come back yet?"

"Can we have just a few more minutes honey," Matt hollered back. After hearing Miranda's affirmative reply, he just turned back to Gordo. "Well, I guess it does sound kind of fast, but the second we got together we said that when we picture our futures, we are marrying each other and having children with each other. I suppose it's all just a matter of perspective. I'm just glad that I finally worked up my courage and got together with her. She's the best."

"Well, you have been together for a few months now. But by going by what you said when you got together, we won't have anything that serious happening in our relationship for a few years, and that is not the pace that I want Lizzie and I to be going at. Don't get me wrong, it's just that I think I waited long enough just to be able to kiss her and tell her I'm in love with her." Lizzie just sat there staring at her boyfriend after hearing how serious he was about her.

"Gordo, do you really feel that serious about us as a couple?" At his girlfriend's question and curious gaze, he simply nodded. "Wow… I never really expected to have a conversation about how serious we were by now, but I'm glad you started it. I feel the same way Gordo, but lets not take Matt's thunder away from him, okay? So, when did you arrange for Mom to come up here with that ring? We've been living here for two and a half months and school starts in another two weeks."

"Wouldn't you like to know," was Matt's only response before calling out to his girlfriend and pulling her into his lap once she re-entered the room.

* * *

"Hey, Gordo," Lizzie started, sliding into bed next to her boyfriend. When she got a 'hmmm' as a reply, she decided to continue. "How serious were you this afternoon when you were talking to Matt about the future of us?" Hearing the question, Gordo decided this was a conversation that needed his full attention, and, marking his page, put his book down.

"Well, that all depends," he answered.

"On what?"

"On how serious you wanted me to be." At her smile, he decided to continue. " Look, Liz, I know that we've wanted to be with each other, at least on my end, since we could remember. I'm in thins for the long haul. Kids…rings…a house with a while fence and a dog out front, the whole damn thing. If that scares you because of how young we are, then I'm sorry, but there is now way that I'm giving you up now that I've got you, you understand?" At her quick nod and flash of a broad grin, he sat up further and simply pulled her closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "I hope you know how much I love you and how much I would give up just to have you in my life."

At his very bald statement, she perched herself up on the elbow closer to him and turned her head to face his. She quickly captured his lips causing him to encase her in his arms. Sliding down into a more comfortable laying position, Gordo leaned so that he was over Lizzie. Looking into her eyes for permission, he found only love and began to pull her shirt up over her head. Kissing down from her lips to her neck, he moved to lay on top of her and let his hands roam, letting his lips up every so often to tell her three words. Hearing her moan in response, he began kissing down to her chest and, taking one breast into his mouth, he covered the other in one of his soft hands, kneading it. Letting up just long enough, he looked into her eyes,

"I love you Lizzie," he said, searching her face for every emotion there was.

"I love you too Gordo. Please, don't stop," she asked, letting him know she was enjoying the way he was making her feel and react to his own body. As Gordo lowered his head back down to hers, he let his hands roam more, landing on the waist line of her pajama pants. Looking to her face and seeing her nod in approval, he gently slid them down, over her hips and off of her lower body altogether. Lizzie let her hands roam as well and, feeling the bulge in her boyfriends flannel pants, started removing his bottoms as well. Left with nothing but his boxers separating their bodies, they let their minds slow to a stop and their instincts take over. Removing the only barrier that there was left, Gordo reached into his nightstand and grabbed for a condom. Lizzie simply watched him pull the foil open and, seeing that her soon to be lover was having trouble, helped him put it on.

With one more deeply penetrating look between the two, Gordo and Lizzie let their bodies come together for the first time. Feeling complete, they murmured expressions of love to one another, knowing that their relationship would never be the same from that moment on.


	6. Chapter 5

"Well Matt, now that your sister and future brother-in-law know how serious you are about me, do I get to find out?" As Miranda asked her boyfriend her question, she saw a look come across his face. The same kind of look that he got on his face when he was a little kid that did nothing but pull pranks on people. "Matt, you know that I love you and that nothing in this world will ever get me to even consider loosing you, so talk to me."

"Well, Miranda, what exactly do you want me to say? Do you want to hear that I'm madly in love and could never even fathom leaving you behind, for any reason? Fine, because you know it's true. It's exactly like I told you two months, two weeks, and three days ago; I look into my future, and the only thing that never changes, is you. You're there when I'm on one knee; you're there when I'm wearing those god awful blue pjs that hospitals give you when you're in the delivery room. You're even there when I tell my parents that they're gonna have another daughter in the family. It'll always be you. I don't know if those things will happen tomorrow, or if they'll happen ten years from now, but I know that we're there. That's the best I can do. Now, I'm taking those tears in your eyes as a good thing. So come here and curl up in my arms. You know that I can't fall asleep unless I've got you with me."

"Why do you always explain things so intensely? It's almost like you aim to make me cry." When she saw Matt give her a knowing smirk, she swatted his shoulder playfully and then settled her head on it, putting her left arm across his chest. "You know that I feel the same way about you and that I think you're the one for me. I'm just happy with where we are right now." When he heard Miranda say that, his mind froze and his heart sped up.

_ 'What in the world was I thinking? That she'd want something **that** permanent that soon in our relationship? I must be going insane.'_

"Matt, hello, Matt." When she go no answer, Miranda propped herself up on her right elbow and waved her left hand in front of his face. Seeing him start, she just gave a soft smile with a hint of worry behind it. "Hey babe, you okay? You kinda went catatonic on me for a minute there. All I said is that I'm perfectly content with just laying here, in **our **bed, in **our** apartment, being cuddled by you. I could stay like this forever."

"Yeah, I love this too. But don't you want to know what's in store for us? When we'll wind up getting married, when we have our first child, all of that stuff?" As Matt asked her this, he kept his tone inquisitive, but inside his mind was going crazy.

"Why are you in such a hurry to grow up? You're 18 for goodness sakes! You're just starting college, yet you've already got a girlfriend that you live with. I want you to take advantage of being away from home for the first time. I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together, but you need to be a college student first. You need to experience some of the shit that comes with growing up before you rush into actually doing it. For crying out loud, you're 18 going on 25. Live a little Matt!"

"Miranda, what you have to understand is that I've been like this, mature for my age that is, ever since the incident with Melina happened. I'll never be back on track with the other guys my age as far as that is concerned, and I'm okay with that, but I'm not so sure you are." Matt sat up more, shrugged her arm off of his chest and got out of bed. Pulling on his robe, he went to the door that opened to the stairs and descended them.

"Matt…wait," Miranda squeaked out between her lips. Quietly, so as not to disturb the two downstairs, she got out of bed and walked over. Giving him a hug, she put her mouth next to his ear and breathed out, "Matthew McGuire…I am so in love with you that it's ridiculous…I have been for almost a year. You are the man of my dreams, even when we were kids and all you did was pull pranks… Matt, you have no clue how happy I was when this," as she said this, she pointed at herself, then at him, "finally happened. I want nothing more than to start our life together, but I don't want to take away your life. You need to experience life without anyone there, telling you what to do, like your parents."

Miranda, you really don't get it, do you? My parents gave me that freedom that kids usually get with college when Melina died…they figured that it affected me enough that I could make my own decisions. I've had that, a bit ahead of schedule, but still. I know what's out there, and it doesn't really interest me. YOU do…Miranda, I love you, I don't want to be a stereotypical 18 year old. Do you remember that older TV show…umm…Boy Meets World?" At this question, Miranda giggled.

"Sure, Gordo and I only came over EVERY Friday growing up to watch it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we are kinda' like Corey and Topanga. We didn't like each other at first…then we became friends...then we became distant…then involved. Then Topanga proposed to Corey at their high school graduation. They got married when they were like, 20. Now, I'm definitely not saying that life is like a TV show, it's a lot harder than that. But I know what I want with my life, and it's you. I'm sorry if that isn't what you want me to do, but…" Miranda didn't even let him finish his sentence before pulling him in for a kiss so full of emotions that she started to cry.

Taking him by the hand, she tugged on his arm until he turned around and followed her lead back to the bed.

"Miranda what are you do-" just as he was about to finish his question, Miranda cut him off with another kiss. As she let go of his hand, she laid back on the bed, patting the spot next to her, hinting for Matt to lay in it. Looking up at him through half lidded eyes, she put a little smile on her lips to coax him down. "Are you sure that we're ready for this? We've been living together for a little over a month, but we haven't ever…and I've never…with anyone. I just wanted everything to be perfect…and I wanted to be not so nervous. I just want to know that you aren't doing this because of our little fight." With one look into Miranda's eyes, he knew that she was doing this simply because she wanted to. That was the last thing he said all night other than the three word phrase that was whispered with more feeling than ever thought possible throughout the rest of the night.


End file.
